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Newcastle Development Event – Sandman Signature Hotel with Guest Speaker Ben Afia
October 28 @ 5:45 pm - 7:45 pm
Free – £20.00Join us at Sandman Signature Hotel Newcastle for a friendly evening of networking and development with guest speaker Ben Afia with his session
Cautious to Confident: Your AI Quick Start
All PA Hub Members or first time attendees can attend with our compliments.
We are also opening this event up to non-members who haven’t been for a while and who would like to remind themselves about our membership events so please join us with our compliments.
You must be a PA or equivalent administrative role to attend this event.
Featured Speaker
Ben Afia
Author, Speaker & Human+AI Transformation Consultant
Cautious to Confident: Your AI Quick Start
Worried AI might replace your role? This interactive session will show you why the opposite is true – and how to make AI your superpower.
Through live demonstrations and hands-on exercises, you’ll discover the Human-Machine Scale: a practical framework for understanding which tasks AI should handle and which require your uniquely human skills. You’ll meet your AI team – ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, and Gemini – and learn which personality fits which situation.
Watch Ben build an AI assistant live using your input, showing you how to create prompts that actually work. You’ll see real PA use cases in action, from meeting summaries to email drafting, and understand how AI amplifies your judgement rather than replacing it.
This isn’t a lecture – it’s a conversation. You’ll leave with your first quick win to try the next morning, confidence to experiment without breaking things, and clarity on how AI makes your role more strategic, not obsolete.
In a world where everyone has the same AI tools, the PAs who master human+AI collaboration will become indispensable.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Distinguish between human and machine tasks using the Human-Machine Scale to identify which parts of their work AI should handle and which require human judgement and relationship intelligence
- Choose the right AI tool for different situations by understanding the personality and strengths of ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Gemini, including security and governance considerations
- Write effective AI prompts using the meta-prompting technique demonstrated live to create reusable frameworks for common PA tasks like meeting summaries and email drafting
- Apply AI to real PA use cases with confidence, identifying their first quick win opportunity to implement AI in their role starting Monday morning
- Position themselves as AI champions within their organisations, understanding how to help teams adopt AI whilst maintaining the human advantage that makes PAs strategic and indispensable
About Ben
Ben Afia helps businesses stay human in the age of AI. For 30 years, he’s worked with organisations like Vodafone, Aviva, and E.ON to transform their culture, brand, and customer experience. He’s the author of The Human Business, the definitive guide to building companies that customers love.
Now Ben applies his human-centred approach to AI implementation, helping teams use AI to elevate their roles rather than replace them. His philosophy: in a world where everyone has the same AI tools, the most human companies win.
Ben combines deep expertise in organisational change with practical AI knowledge, focusing on helping people embrace AI confidently whilst maintaining the human judgement, empathy, and strategic thinking that makes them invaluable.
He’s a sought-after speaker who makes complex topics accessible through interactive demonstrations and real-world examples. Based in Nottingham, Ben works with clients across the UK and internationally.
Sandman Signature Hotel
Situated in Newcastle city centre, Sandman Signature Newcastle Hotel is perfectly located close to St. James’ Park, Northumbria University, Northumberland Street, Theatre Royal, the Centre of Life, the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI), and the Utilita Arena.
Within the property itself, this modern 4* hotel boasts strong wi-fi, parking at a third-party car park just a 2-3 minute walk to the hotel (Q-Park, Stowell Street), 170 bedrooms and suites and two function suites. Alongside a fitness centre, guests can also enjoy an onsite restaurant and sports bar, Shark Club. We can’t wait to welcome you.